Can opener



Dec. 14, 1954 s. CHUN CAN OPENER Filed May 22, 1953 ll INVENTOR GagneChan,

m ATTORNEYS United States Patent CAN OPENER Gayne Chun, Madison, Wis.

Application May 22, 1953, Serial No. 356,681

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-14) This invention relates to can openers and moreparticularly to a lever type can opener adapted to be held in the handwhile being used to open a can.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved canopener which includes a guide block adapted to engage and to be guidedaround the rim of a can and a hand lever pivotally mounted on the guideblock and a blade connected to the hand lever and adapted to penetrate acan top and sever the top as the guide block is moved around the canrim; which has a projection on the end of the blade which engages theunder side of the can top and prevents movement of the blade out ofcutting engagement with the top during the severing operation; whichfirmly grips the can rim while the blade is being forced through the cantop, so that the cutting action on the can top is accomplished entirelyby a downward movement of the hand lever and advance of the opener isaccomplished by a forward movement of the hand lever and additionalforce does not have to be exerted on the hand lever to hold the canopener in cutting engagement with the can; and which is simple anddurable in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to use, andpositive and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a can opener illustrative of theinvention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the can opener illustrated inFigure 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

With continued reference to the drawing, the can opener comprises aguide block, generally indicated at 10, of flat shape havingsubstantially parallel face surfaces, a substantially straight bottomedge 11, a front edge 12 substantially perpendicular to the bottom edge11, and a curved top edge 13 extending from the upper end of the frontedge 12 to the rear end of the bottom edge 11. This guide block has anaperture 14 extending therethrough near the front edge 12 thereof withthe center line of the aperture substantially perpendicular to a planeincluding the longitudinal center line of the bottom edge 11 and anannular boss 15 extends from one side of the guide block in surroundingrelationship to the aperture 14.

A straight flange 16 projects from the same side of the guide block fromwhich the boss projects, and this flange has its surface adjacent theboss 15 serrated and spaced from the adjacent surface of the boss adistance substantially equal to the thickness of the rim 17 of a canwhich the opener is adapted to open.

A lug 18 of rectangular shape projects from the side of the guide block10 from which the boss 15 projects at the rear end of the bottom edge 11of the block and is recessed to provide at its outer end a depending lip19. The lip 19 is adapted to engage the inner side of the can rim 17, sothat the lug 18 will ride on the upper edge of the can rim and willassist in guiding the guide block 10 around the top rim 17 of a canbeing opened by the can opener.

A pin 20 of cylindrical shape extends through the aperture 14 in theguide block and through the boss 15 and a hand lever 21 of flattenedshape has near one end an aperture which receives the end of the pin 20at the side of the block 10 remote from the boss 15. The hand lever isrigidly secured to the pin 20 and projects radially therefrom beyond therear end of the guide block to an extent suflicient to provide adequateleverage for the can opening operation.

A comma-shaped blade 23 has a substantially circular portion 2-iprovidedwith an aperture 25 which receives the end of the pin 20 at the outerend of the boss 15 and has a tail portion 26 projecting from thecircular or annular portion 24. The tail portion has a convex edge 27and a concave edge 28 which converge to a point at the outer end of thetail portion of the blade and this pointed end of the blade extendsbelow the bottom edge of the guide block 10. The concave edge 28 isbeveled to provide a cutting edge for the blade and a pointed projection29 extends laterally from the side of the blade remote from the guideblock 10 at the pointed end of the tail portion 26 of the blade.

The blade is rigidly secured to the pin 20 for movement with the handlever 21 and the boss 15 has a thickness substantially equal to thewidth of the can rim 17, as illustrated in Figure 3.

The bottom edge 11 of the block 10 is recessed, as indicated at 30,between the flange 11 and the lug 18 to facilitate mounting the canopener in operative position on a can to be opened, and when the bladeis fully retracted, the pointed end thereof is substantially flush withthe edge of the recessed portion 30 of the bottom edge of the guideblock and adjacent the inner side of the lug 18, as illustrated inbroken lines in Figure 2.

In applying the can opener to a can to be opened, with the hand lever 21in raised position, as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 2, theflange 11 is engaged under the rim at the top end of the can and the lug18 is placed on the rim with the lip 19 in engagement with the innersurface of the rim. The hand lever 21 is then forced downwardly causingthe pointed end portion of the blade 24 to penetrate the top of the canat the inner side of the can rim, as illustrated in Figure 3. In orderto sever the can top from the tip rim, the downward movement of thehandle is continued until the pointed end of the blade is lowered to anextent at which the projection 19 engages the top of the can top. Whenthis occurs, the hand lever is again raised, the can opener is advancedalong the rim of the can until the pointed end of the blade is adjacentthe forward end of the cut previously made in the can top, and thehandle is then forced downwardly to the extent indicated above. Thisoperation is repeated until the can top has been substantially severedfrom the can rim and when this occurs, the opener is removed from thecan by moving the hand lever outwardly and upwardly, lifting the lug 18from the can rim and disengaging the flange 11 from the bottom surfaceof the rim. As the pointed end of the blade is removed, the projection29 will engage the under surface of the can top and lift the top out ofthe open can.

In operation, the blade forces the severed portion of the top remainingattached to the can rim downwardly around the inner edge of the rim, sothat there is no sharp edge on the open can which could injure the handsof a person handling the can.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfor the spirit or essential characterisics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

l. A can opener comprising a guide block having a substantially straightbottom edge and an aperture extending therethrough near one end thereofwith the center line of the aperture substantially perpendicular to aplane includingthe center line of the bottom edge of said guide block,an annular boss projecting from one side of said guide block insurrounding relationship to said aperture, a straight flange projectingfrom said one side of the guide block along said bottom edge in spacedrelationship to said boss and having a serrated surface adjacent saidboss for engaging the bottom edge of a can rim surrounding a can top, alug projecting from said one side of said guide block at said bottomedge and at the end of said block remote from said aperture for guidingthe corresponding end of the guide block on a can rim, a pin extendingthrough said boss and said aperture, a hand lever secured at one end tosaid pin at the side of said guide block remote from said boss, and ablade secured to said pin at the outer end of said boss and having apointed end portion projecting below the bottom edge of said guide blockand a cutting edge extending from said pointed end to the portion ofsaid blade surrounding said said flange and having at its outer end adepending lip adapted to engage the inner surface of a can rim, a pinjournaled in the aperture in said guide block, a comma shaped blockhaving an annular portion surrounding and secured to said pin at saidone side of the guide block and a pointed tail portion projecting fromsaid annular portion and provided with a cutting edge, and a hand leverblock at a locationalong said bottom edge spaced from secured at one endto said pin at the other side of said guide block-with its longitudinalcenter line substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis of saidpin.

3. A can opener comprising a flat guide block having substantiallyparallel face surfaces, a substantially straight bottom edge and anaperture near one end thereof, a straight flange extending to one sideof said guide block along said bottom edge and having a roughened uppersurface, a lug extending to said one side of said guide block at alocation along said bottom edge spaced from said flange and having atits outer end a depending lip adapted to engage the inner surface of acan rim, a pin journaled in the aperture in said guide block, acommashaped block having an annular portion surrounding and secured tosaid pin at saidone side of the guide block and a pointed tail portionprojecting from said annular portion and provided with a cutting edge,and a hand lever secured at one end to said pin at the other side ofsaid guide block with its longitudinal center line substantiallyperpendicular to the rotational axis of said pin, said block having itsside adjacent .said guide block spaced from the latter a distancesuflicient to permit a can rim to pass between said blade-and said guideblock.

No references cited.

